Press Release Do’s and Don’ts

A lot of press releases come across our desk at Endurance Sportswire. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to ensure you are putting out the best release possible.

1. Invest in the AP Style Guide. Available in hardcopy and as an online tool, it is the journalist’s bible for writing rules and grammar.
2. Double-check the date and year of your announcement.
3. Your release should answer this reporter’s question, “Why should I care?”
4. Don’t start off an announcement by saying your company is “excited” or “pleased” to announce XYZ news.
5. Press releases should be written in third person. Avoid words such as “you” and “we!’
6. The ideal press release length is one page, single-spaced and approximately 400 words.
7. Hyperlinks can be distracting if used too much (and can also hurt our Google ranking). Limit the number of hyperlinks to one link for every 150 words.
8. Additional, avoid using a lot of industry jargon and excessive adjectives such as: synergize, cutting-edge, leverage, industry leading, state-of-the-art, etc.
9. Third party factoids and statistics should only be included if they have been approved for use by the source.
10. The event is taking place on July 18, 2019, NOT July 18th, 2019. No “th” needed.
11. A number of news sites publish press releases verbatim. Make sure your quote is conversational, interesting and short. No corporate speak.